A method and a solid support for detecting tick-borne microbes in a biological sample

ABSTRACT

A solid support for detecting the presence of antibodies in a biological sample, where the solid support includes microbial antigens immobilized on the solid support, wherein the microbial antigens include at least one antigen prepared from the group consisting of pleomorphic round bodies of  Borrelia  genus, for example  Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia afzelii  and  Borrelia garinii . Also, a method of detecting a tick-borne microbe in a biological sample, wherein the solid support is contacted with a biological sample.

FIELD

The aspects of the disclosed embodiments relate to the detection of Lymedisease and other tick-borne diseases. The aspects of the disclosedembodiments also relate to the detection of antibodies in a biologicalsample. Particularly, the aspects of the disclosed embodiments provide amultiplex and multifunctional detection platform for Tick-borne disease(TBD) microbes

BACKGROUND

Tick-borne microbes (TBMs) are defined as macroscopic virulent entitiesthat are spread to the host via a tick bite. Ticks are exceptionalvectors for disease transmission and inhabit almost every continent,with the number of species worldwide topping 850. The most commontick-borne disease (TBD), both in Europe and North America, is Lymedisease caused by the spirochete Borrelia species^(1,2.) Globally, Lymedisease is endemic in 80 countries including the 27 EU countries andcentral Asia^(3,4). Besides Borrelia there are many other bacteria andeven viruses that co-infect such as Babesia, Rickettsia, Ehrlichia,Bartonella, Tick-borne encephalitis virus, etc^(5,6). The Center ofDisease Control in the U.S.A and Europe has reported 300,000 and 85,000annual TBD cases, respectively. However, the total number annual TBDcases are grossly underestimated as highlighted by the World HealthOrganization⁷.

Clinical diagnosis of a presenting patient can be challenging sinceinfections with TBMs initially manifest as a nonspecific febrile illnesswith or without specific organ system involvement, mimicking flu-likesymptoms^(2,5,8). To further complicate treatment protocols, secondaryinfections with Mycoplasma, Chlamydia, Epstein-Barr virus or otherviruses are common in these patients⁶. As a result of underestimation,misdiagnosis, co-infections and secondary infections, inadequatetreatment can lead to development of severe clinical conditions such asfatigue, muscle/joint ache, cardiovascular/cognitive impairment, etc⁹.Patients develop severe clinical conditions as a result of inadequatediagnosis, and treatment results in diminishing their quality of life;consequently increasing healthcare burden^(9,10). Since clinicalsymptoms are diverse and unspecific, reliable diagnostics methods areparamount for timely and accurate treatment of patients^(4,6,11,12).

The challenges in tick-borne infection diagnosis is that directdetection methods such as culturing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)are difficult to conduct due to the low number of viable pathogenspresent in patient biopsies. This leads to negative results and do notexclude active infections or the different stages of disease that thepatient might be suffering from^(2,5,13). Indirect methods such asEnzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), is a limited antibody testthat may have a weak or absent presence in early stages of the infectionor disease. A remarkable number of false positive results, due tocross-reactivity issues among the different bacterial species also occurin these antibody-based assays. However, a positive specific antibodyresponse may persist for months or years after successful treatment ofthe infection. These current methods fail to detect up to 80% of thefirst stage of tick-borne diseases and does not distinguish betweenacute and chronic infections^(4,11). To further add to the challenge,there are mostly ELISA based diagnostics for animals not humans thatusually addresses one TBM and not multiple TBMs³.

Ongoing diagnostic tools are not equipped with the current researchfindings. In recent years, scientific developments relating to BorreliaRound Bodies¹⁴, importance of Borrelia speciation^(15,16), polymicrobialinfections¹², and IgM immune dysfunction¹⁷ in TBD patients haschallenged our clinical understanding about TBD. Borrelia round bodiesare one of Borrelia spirochete's pleomorphic structure¹⁴. Over theyears, pleomorphic forms of Borrelia have been labelled cell-walldeficient (CWD), L-forms, spheroplasts, protoplasts, propagules, orcysts^(5,8,18-20). Only recently, electron micrographs from Meriläinenet al. (2015) settled the discrepancy regarding Borrelia's pleomorphicmorphology by concluding it to be a round body (RB). Meriläinen et al.(2015) induced Borrelia RB in human serum and demonstrated a sphericalRB with intact yet flexible cell wall that was metabolically inactivewith unique biochemical signatures. Although, clinical manifestationsconcerning Borrelia's pleomorphic morphology have been reportedrepeatedly, its pathogenic role in TBD has been debated and criticized.Ongoing diagnostic tools do not test TBD patients for Borrelia roundbody^(8,21-25).

Current diagnostic tools may test for different Borrelia spirochetes,individually or collectively, as they present different clinicalmanifestations in individuals¹⁶. Recently, the multiplex TBD diagnostictools can test for different recombinant Borrelia proteins, but TBD hasbeen recognized as a polymicrobial infection disease, and ongoingdiagnostic tools are unequipped to diagnose individuals for secondaryopportunistic infections, co-infections, as well as auto-immuneconditions associated with the infections^(5,13,22-25).

To address pitfalls in ongoing TBD detection tools, the aspects of thedisclosed embodiments provide a novel solid support comprising at leastone immobilized antigen prepared from the group consisting ofpleomorphic round bodies of Borrelia genus; for example, Borreliaburgdorferi, Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii. The present resultsshow for the first time that individual's immune system may specificallyrespond to only Borrelia round bodies and that this immune response maybe related to persistent stage of Lyme disease.

SUMMARY

It is an aim of the aspects of the disclosed embodiments to provide anovel detection platform that outlines acute, past and particularlychronic or persistent stages of the TBDs the patient is experiencing.Additionally, the present specification may also address polymicrobialand immune dysfunction aspects associated with TBDs.

Thus, in one aspect the disclosed embodiments provide a solid supportfor detecting the presence of antibodies in a biological sample, saidsolid support comprising microbial antigens immobilized on said solidsupport, wherein said microbial antigens comprise at least one antigenprepared from the group consisting of pleomorphic round bodies of thespecies of Borrelia genus.

In another aspect, the disclosed embodiments provide a method ofdetecting a tick-borne microbe in a biological sample, the methodcomprising: a. contacting a biological sample with a solid supportcomprising microbial antigens immobilized on said solid support in orderto form a complex comprising a microbial antigen immobilized to saidsolid support and an antibody originating from said biological samplebound to said microbial antigen, wherein said microbial antigenscomprise at least one antigen prepared from the group consisting ofpleomorphic round bodies of the species of Borrelia genus; b. detectingthe presence of the complex obtained in step (a), wherein the presenceof a complex comprising an antigen prepared from pleomorphic roundbodies of at least one species of Borrelia genus is an indication of thepresence of a tick-borne microbe in said biological sample.

In another aspect, the aspects of the disclosed embodiments provide asolid support as defined above for use in the diagnosis of Lyme disease.

In another aspect, the aspects of the disclosed embodiments provide ause of the solid support as defined herein for the manufacture of adiagnostic assay for the detection of a tick-borne microbe in abiological sample.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1. (A) Overall IgM immune responses to all Borrelia antigens, (B)only Borrelia spirochetes, and (C) only Borrelia round bodies. In 1A and1B, abbreviations Bb, Ba, and Bg are Borrelia burgdorferi sensu strictoB31, Borrelia afzelii P12, and Borrelia garinii Fuji P1, respectively.

FIG. 2. (A) Overall IgG immune responses to all Borrelia antigens, (B)only Borrelia spirochetes, and (C) only Borrelia round bodies. In 2A and2B, abbreviations Bb, Ba, and Bg are Borrelia burgdorferi sensu strictoB31, Borrelia afzelii P12, and Borrelia garinii Fuji P1, respectively.

FIG. 3. Evaluation of (A) IgM and (B) IgG immune responses against oneor multiple microbial antigens. An amount of 443 human sera were used toevaluate if individuals respond to only one microbial antigen or tomultiple microbial antigens. Additionally, individuals with no immuneresponse to 20 antigens were evaluated.

FIG. 4. IgG immune responses to individual microbial antigens. An amountof 443 human sera were used to evaluate the total number of immuneresponses to each microbial antigen utilized in this study.Additionally, individuals with no immune response to 20 antigens wereevaluated.

FIG. 5. IgM immune responses to individual microbial antigens. An amountof 443 human sera, were used to evaluate the total number of immuneresponses to each microbial antigen utilized in this study.Additionally, individuals with no immune response to 20 antigens wereevaluated.

FIG. 6: (A) Overall IgM immune response proportions by individuals toother microbes with and without Borrelia, (B) IgM immune responses byindividuals to the number of multiple other microbes with and withoutBorrelia, and (C) IgM immune responses by individuals to specific othermicrobes with and without Borrelia. An amount of 443 human sera wereused to compare the frequency of IgM immune responses to multiple othermicrobes and their specific types between individuals that responded toonly Borrelia spirochetes, only Borrelia round bodies or a combinationof Borrelia spirochete and round bodies. The term “other microbes”includes co-infections, secondary and auto-immune antigens such asBartonella henselae (B. henselae), Brucella abortus (B. abortus),Babesia microti (B. microti), Ehrlichia chaffeensis (E. chaffeensis),Rickettsia akari (R. akari), Tick borne encephaltis virus (TBEV),Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis), Chlamydia pneumonia (C.pneumonia), Mycoplasma fermentans (M. fermentans), Mycoplasma pneumonia(M. pneumonia), Cytomegalo virus (CMV), Epstein-barr virus (EBV),Coxsachie virus A16 (CV A16), and Human Parvovirus B19 (HB19V).

FIG. 7: (A) Overall IgG immune response proportions by individuals toother microbes with and without Borrelia, (B) IgG immune responses byindividuals to the number of multiple other microbes with and withoutBorrelia, and (C) IgG immune responses by individuals to specific othermicrobes with and without Borrelia. An amount of 443 human sera wereused to compare the frequency of IgG immune responses to multiple othermicrobes and their specific types between individuals that responded toonly Borrelia spirochetes, only Borrelia round bodies or a combinationof Borrelia spirochete and round bodies. The term “other microbes”includes co-infections, secondary and auto-immune antigens such asBartonella henselae (B. henselae), Brucella abortus (B. abortus),Babesia microti (B. microti), Ehrlichia chaffeensis (E. chaffeensis),Rickettsia akari (R. akari), Tick borne encephaltis virus (TBEV),Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis), Chlamydia pneumonia (C.pneumonia), Mycoplasma fermentans (M. fermentans), Mycoplasma pneumonia(M. pneumonia), Cytomegalo virus (CMV), Epstein-barr virus (EBV),Coxsachie virus A16 (CV A16), and Human Parvovirus B19 (HB19V).

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

To date, the existing TBD diagnostic tools rely on screening one immuneresponse (either IgG or IgM) for one disease, and often require asecondary confirmatory test for its findings. The present specificationprovides means and methods to detect chronic, latent or persistentstages of Lyme disease by detecting immune response against pleomorphicround bodies of the species of Borrelia genus.

At least 18 species of the Borrelia genus are known to cause Lymedisease or borreliosis and are transmitted by ticks⁴⁸. The major Lymedisease pathogens are Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia afzelii andBorrelia garinii. Others are, for instance, Borrelia miyamotoi, Borreliatanukii, Borrelia turdi, Borrelia valaisiana, Borrelia carolinensis,Borrelia americana, Borrelia lusitaniae, Borrelia japonica, and Borreliasinica.

As a multiplex and multifunctional platform the present aspects can beused for diagnosing individuals against multiple microbes and antibodyclasses simultaneously. Microbial antigens that help in diagnosingprimary, persistent, secondary, co-infection and auto-immune conditionsin TBD individuals are listed below in Table 1.

The aspects of the disclosed embodiments are directed to a solid supportfor detecting the presence of antibodies in a biological sample, saidsolid support comprising microbial antigens immobilized on said solidsupport, wherein said microbial antigens comprise at least one antigenprepared from the group consisting of pleomorphic round bodies of thespecies of Borrelia genus, such as Borrelia burgdorferi, Borreliaafzelii and Borrelia garinii.

The term “pleomorphic” refers herein to pleomorphism, which inmicrobiology is defined as the ability of some bacteria to alter theirshape or size in response to environmental conditions. The pleomorphicround bodies as defined in the present specification can be induced asdisclosed in Meriläinen et al. (2015) or as disclosed in theExperimental Section below. Without wishing to be bound by theory, thebasis behind barrel spirochete (i.e. long, corkscrew-shaped cells withmean length of 20 μm) changing its shape to pleomorphic round bodies(i.e. spherical cells with mean diameter of 2.8±0.46 μm) is that thebacterium is under physiological pressure from its environment.Therefore, in addition to changes to the media condition of thebacterium, stress conditions such as osmotic pressure also helps ininducing round bodies⁴⁷.

Previously, the round bodies (RBs) of B. burgdorferi have beenambiguously named in various ways. These terms include CWD and L-forms,spheroplasts, protoplasts, propagules and even cysts. Nonetheless, allof these labels describe the same spherical structures¹⁴.

In an embodiment, the at least one antigen prepared from the groupconsisting of pleomorphic round bodies of a species of Borrelia genus isspecific to pleomorphic round bodies of the species of Borrelia genus.

In an embodiment, the immobilized antigen on the solid support is alysate or part of a lysate of cultured pleomorphic round bodies ofBorrelia genus; for example, Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia afzelii orBorrelia garinii. Said immobilized antigen can also be a protein orpeptide preparation of said pleomorphic round bodies. Other knownpreparations comprising antigens from microbial cells prepared, e.g., bythe use of pH shift, human sera, salt concentration changes can also beused in the aspects of the disclosed embodiments.

In order to detect acute and chronic or persistent stages of Lymedisease simultaneously, said solid support may further comprise at leastone immobilized antigen prepared from the group consisting of Borreliagenus, for example Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia afzelii and Borreliagarinii, in a native spirochete form or lysates thereof.

In an embodiment, the at least one immobilized antigen prepared from thegroup consisting of a species of Borrelia genus in a native spirocheteform is specific to the species of the Borrelia genus in a nativespirochete form.

In an embodiment, the assay is directed to the detection of one certainBorrelia species, for example, wherein 1) said solid support comprisesan immobilized antigen prepared from pleomorphic round bodies ofBorrelia burgdorferi and an immobilized antigen prepared from Borreliaburgdorferi in a native spirochete form; 2) said solid support comprisesan immobilized antigen prepared from pleomorphic round bodies ofBorrelia afzelii and an immobilized antigen prepared from Borreliaafzelii in a native spirochete form; or 3) said solid support comprisesan immobilized antigen prepared from pleomorphic round bodies ofBorrelia garinii and an immobilized antigen prepared from Borreliagarinii in a native spirochete form.

In an embodiment, the immobilized antigen prepared from pleomorphicround bodies of Borrelia burgdorferi is specific to pleomorphic roundbodies of Borrelia burgdorferi, and the immobilized antigen preparedfrom Borrelia burgdorferi in a native spirochete form is specific toBorrelia burgdorferi in a native spirochete form.

In an embodiment, the immobilized antigen prepared from pleomorphicround bodies of Borrelia afzelii is specific to pleomorphic round bodiesof Borrelia afzelii and the immobilized antigen prepared from Borreliaafzelii in a native spirochete form is specific to Borrelia afzelii in anative spirochete form.

In an embodiment, the immobilized antigen prepared from pleomorphicround bodies of Borrelia garinii is specific to pleomorphic round bodiesof Borrelia garinii and an immobilized antigen prepared from Borreliagarinii in a native spirochete form is specific to Borrelia garinii in anative spirochete form.

In an embodiment, the solid support is produced for a multiplex assay,wherein said solid support comprises immobilized antigens prepared frompleomorphic round bodies of a species of Borrelia genus, preferablyBorrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia afzelii and/or Borrelia garinii. In afurther embodiment, the multiplex assay comprises also immobilizedantigens prepared from a species of Borrelia genus, such as Borreliaburgdorferi, Borrelia afzelii and/or Borrelia garinii in a nativespirochete form.

In an embodiment, the immobilized antigens prepared from pleomorphicround bodies of Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia afzelii and Borreliagarinii are specific to pleomorphic round bodies of Borreliaburgdorferi, Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii, respectively.

The multiplex assay may also comprise at least one immobilized antigenprepared from the group consisting of Mycoplasma fermentans, Mycoplasmapneumonia, Bartonella henselae, Brucella abortus, Babesia microti,Chlamydia trachomatis, Chlamydia pneumonia, Ehrlichia chaffeensis,Coxsackie virus A16, Epstein-barr virus (EBV), Cytomegalo virus (CMV),Human Parvovirus B19 Apobods, Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), andRickettsia akari.

In an embodiment, the at least one immobilized antigen prepared from thegroup consisting of Mycoplasma fermentans, Mycoplasma pneumonia,Bartonella henselae, Brucella abortus, Babesia microti, Chlamydiatrachomatis, Chlamydia pneumonia, Ehrlichia chaffeensis, Coxsackie virusA16, Epstein-barr virus, Cytomegalo virus, Human Parvovirus B19 Apobods,Tick-borne encephalitis virus, and Rickettsia akari is specific toMycoplasma fermentans, Mycoplasma pneumonia, Bartonella henselae,Brucella abortus, Babesia microti, Chlamydia trachomatis, Chlamydiapneumonia, Ehrlichia chaffeensis, Coxsackie virus A16, Epstein-barrvirus, Cytomegalo virus, Human Parvovirus B19 Apobods, Tick-borneencephalitis virus, and Rickettsia akari, respectively.

Said solid support may be made of glass or plastic, such as polystyreneor poly-propylene. Examples of solid support of the presentspecification are an antigen microarray or microwell plate. Antigenmicroarray is a form of protein microarray, which is also known as aprotein chip. Microarray is a solid support (typically glass) on whichthousands of different proteins (in this case antigens) are immobilizedin discrete spatial locations, forming a high density protein dotmatrix. Microwell plate is a flat plate with multiple “wells”, whereeach well is used for one specific sample. The microwell plate is astandard tool in clinical diagnostic testing laboratories. A very commonusage is in the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

In an embodiment, the present specification is directed to a solidsupport as defined herein for use in the diagnosis of Lyme disease, suchas chronic/persistent Lyme disease.

In another embodiment, the present specification is directed to a use ofthe solid support as defined herein for the manufacture of a diagnosticassay for the detection of a tick-borne microbe in a biological sample.In an embodiment, said diagnostic assay is for the detection of Lymedisease in a patient, such as chronic/persistent Lyme disease in apatient.

The “patient”, “individual” or “donor” may be a mammalian subject, suchas a human subject.

The present specification is also directed to a method of detecting atick-borne microbe in a biological sample, the method comprising:

-   (a) contacting a biological sample with a solid support comprising    microbial antigens immobilized on said solid support in order to    form a complex comprising a microbial antigen immobilized to said    solid support and an antibody originating from said biological    sample bound to said microbial antigen, wherein said microbial    antigens comprise at least one antigen prepared from the group    consisting of pleomorphic round bodies of a species of Borrelia    genus; and-   (b) detecting the presence of the complex obtained in step (a),    wherein the presence of a complex comprising an antigen prepared    from pleomorphic round bodies of Borrelia genus, is an indication of    the presence of a tick-borne microbe in said biological sample.

In an embodiment, the presence of the complex obtained in step (a) isdetected by contacting said solid support with an anti-antibody reagentin order to form a complex of said microbial antigen, said antibodybound to said microbial antigen and said anti-antibody reagent.

The present specification also provides an opportunity to specificallyand sensitively screen an individual's IgG and IgM or IgA responseagainst multiple microbes in a single kit. Accordingly, saidanti-antibody reagent may be anti-IgG antibody, anti-IgM antibody oranti-IgA antibody. For example, said anti-antibody reagent may beanti-human IgG antibody, anti-human IgM antibody or anti-human IgAantibody.

In an embodiment, said biological sample is a blood, serum, urine,saliva or tear sample, cerebrospinal fluid sample, or synovial fluidsample, such as a serum sample.

In an embodiment, the present method comprises a preceding step ofculturing a species of Borrelia genus, such as Borrelia burgdorferi,Borrelia afzelii or Borrelia garinii, in conditions producingpleomorphic round bodies, performing lysis of the cultured cells, andcoating or printing a solid support with the lysate or part of thelysate. Said conditions producing pleomorphic round bodies are asdisclosed in Meriläinen et al. (2015) or as disclosed in theExperimental Section below, such as incubating Borrelia spirochete cellsin distilled water or in changing salt concentrations, or in thepresence of human sera or shifting the culture to acidic pH. After theculturing step, other known techniques for producing antigens frommicrobial cells can also be used in this aspect than cell lysis. Forinstance, antigenic peptides and proteins can be prepared from saidpleomorphic round bodies for the coating or printing step.

Having now generally described the aspects of the disclosed embodiments,the same will be more readily understood by reference to the followingExperimental Section, which is provided by way of illustration and isnot intended as limiting.

Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those describedherein can be used in the practice or testing of the aspects of thedisclosed embodiments, suitable methods and materials are describedbelow.

EXPERIMENTAL SECTION Materials and Methods Ethical Approvals for SerumSample Collection

In total 532 human serum samples were collected from Borreliose CentrumAugsburg (BCA), Germany; King Christian 10^(th) Hospital for RheumaticDiseases, Denmark; and multiple clinics/specialty labs in the Europethat was approved by the Federal Institute for Drugs and MedicalDevices, Germany (Ethical approval number: 95.10-5661-7066); Danish dataprotection agency and the regional ethics committee of Southern Denmark(Ethical approval number: S-20110029); and Western Institutional Reviewboard (Ethical approval number: USMA201441), respectively. Of the 532human serum samples, 51 negative controls were allotted to IgG andanother 51 negative controls were allotted to IgM. The negative controlswere utilized for establishing qualitative cut-off values for bothantibody classes.

Preparation of Antigens for ELISA

All 532 human sera samples were tested against 20 microbial antigens forIgM and IgG antibody responses. In table 1, all 20 antigens have beenenlisted. Borrelia spirochetes, Borrelia round bodies, and HumanParvovirus B19 Apobods were cultured and isolated in-house. HumanParvovirus B19 Apobods were cultured and isolated in accordance with theprocedure reported elsewhere^(26,27). Dr. Marco Quevendo Diaz (SlovakAcademy of Science) provided Rickettsia akari purified and deactivatedlysates. Remaining 18 microbes were ordered as lyophilized microbialpeptides from GeneCust. A stock solution of 1 mg/ml was prepared forRickettsia akari and all microbial peptides to be directly utilized inELISA.

Culturing and Isolation of Borrelia Species in Spirochete andPleomorphic Forms

Borrelia cultures were obtained from the American Type CultureCollection (ATCC). Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly (BSK) medium was utilized forgrowing all three Borrelia cultures. The BSK medium was prepared inaccordance with previously reported instructions³⁹. In order to cultureand isolate Borrelia species in their native spirochete form, eachBorrelia strain was independently grown in BSK medium at 37° C. for 5-7d. Post incubation, Borrelia cells were isolated by centrifuging culturetubes at 5000 g for 10 min. The supernatant was discarded, and the cellpellet was stored at −80° C. until further use¹⁴.

For culturing different Borrelia round body strains, respective Borreliaspirochete cell pellets were resuspended in 2 ml of distilled water(ddH₂O). Borrelia spirochete cells were incubated in the water or inchanging salt concentrations, or shifting to acidic pH or in thepresence of human sera at 37° C. for 2 hrs. Post incubation, Borreliacells were centrifuged at 5000 g for 10 min. The supernatant wasdiscarded, and Borrelia round body pellet was stored at −80° C. untilfurther use¹⁴.

Culturing and Isolation of Human Parvovirus B19 Apobods:

Kivovich et al., (2010) and Thammasri et al., (2013) reported productionof Human Parvovirus B19 (B19V) induced apoptotic bodies and isolation ofthese apoptotic bodies herein called B19V Apobods. Briefly, B19Vnonstructural protein (NS1) was cloned together with enhanced greenfluorescent protein (EGFP) in a modified pFastBac1 vector. The modifiedpFastBac1 vector was utilized to generate recombinant baculovirus inAutographa californica viral vector. The resulting structure wasreferred as AcCMV-EGFP-NS1. By using the Bac-to-Bac® BaculovirusExpression system, recombinant baculovirus stocks were prepared. Amonolayer culture of insect cells Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9 cellsATCCCRL-1711, Manassas, Va.) was utilized for viral stock amplification.The viral stocks contained recombinant bacmid DNA. Post infection (PI),3 generations of viral stocks were collected, each at 48 or 72 h PI.After the cells were centrifuged and filtered, their transductionefficiency was determined by growth of HepG2 cells overnight andtransduction with recombinant AcEGFP or AcEGFP-NS1. BD FACSCALIBUR flowcytometer (Becton-Dickinson, NJ, USA) was utilized to verify if viruseshad 70% transduction efficiency for further use in the apoptotic body(ApoBods) induction. Further, HepG2 cells were transduced with thirdgeneration AcEGFP-NS1 viruses with a transduction efficiency of 70%.Finally, at 72 h post transduction, supernatant in the culture wascentrifuged, pelleted, and stored at −80° C. until further use.

Processing Isolated Microbial Pellets for Utilization in ELISA

Borrelia spirochete, Borrelia round body, and B19V Apobods pellets werethawed on ice and resuspended in 100 μl of phosphate buffered salinesolution (PBS, pH 7.4). To dissociate the in lysates, and homogenouslydissolve the contents in PBS, all solutions in tandem were sonicated for15 min (Bransoni C220), heated at 99.9° C. for 15 min and sonicatedagain for 15 min. Finally, 1 mg/ml stock concentration for all antigenswas stored at +4° C.

ELISA Procedure

Antigen stock solutions (1 mg/ml) were diluted at 1:100 in 0.1 Mcarbonate buffer (0.1 M Na₂CO₃+0.1 M NaHCO₃, pH 9.5). Dilution volumewas equally divided between stock solutions for microbes with twopeptide sequences. Two positive controls, human IgG (Sigma) and humanIgM (Sigma) were utilized in this study. Additionally, human IgG (Sigma)and human IgM (Sigma #18260) were interchangeably utilized as negativecontrol for each other. The control stock solutions (1 mg/ml) werediluted at 1:100 in 0.1 M carbonate buffer. Positive and negativecontrols were utilized to maintain consistent optical density (OD)values at 450 nm.

A 100 μl of antigens and controls were coated in duplicates, on a flatbottom 96-well polystyrene ELISA plate (Nunc), and were incubated at +4°C. overnight. Post incubation, the plates were washed three times with300 μl of PBS-Tween (PBS+0.05% Tween 20) and were then coated with a 100μl of 2% BSA (Sigma #A7030) in PBS. After an overnight incubation at +4°C., the 2% BSA in PBS was discarded. Further, 100 μl of patient serumdiluted at 1:200 in 1% BSA/PBS was added. The plates were then allowedto incubate for 2 hrs at room temperature (RT). Post incubation, theplates were washed five times with 300 μl of PBS-Tween. An amount of 100μl of Horse Radish Peroxidase (HRP) conjugated to mouse anti-human IgG(Abcam) or rabbit anti-human IgM (Antibodies Online) was introduced tothe plates at 1:10000 or 1:1000 dilution factor, respectively. After 1.5hrs incubation at RT, the plates were washed five times with 300 μl ofPBS-Tween and were then supplemented with 100 μl of 3,3′,5,5′Tetramethylbenzidine substrate (TMB, 1-Step ultra TMB-ELISA substrate,Thermo-Piercenet #34028). Plates that were previously supplemented withHRP conjugated to mouse anti-human IgG or IgM, were incubated at RT for5 min or 1 h, respectively. The reaction between the secondaryantibodies and TMB substrate was stopped by adding 100 μl of 2 M H₂SO₄.Further, Victor™ X⁴ multi-label plate reader (Perkin Elmer 2030 manger)was utilized to measure the OD values at 450 nm at 0.1 sec.

Data Processing

For quality assurance purpose, each duplicate was assessed to be presentwithin 30% range of each other. Instead of assessing duplicates to bepresent within 30% of their mean⁴⁰, duplicates were assessed to bepresent within 30% range of each other. Since duplicates within 30%range of each other are independent of their mean, difference betweenthe readings is highly limited when compared to duplicates within 30% oftheir mean. A set of 51 negative controls was utilized in IgG andanother set of 51 negative controls was utilized in IgM to establishqualitative cut-off values for 20 antigens. For an antigen, the cut offvalue was established by adding mean of all average O.D values to threetimes the standard deviation of all average OD values⁴¹. On establishingcut-off values for 20 antigens, all average OD values were divided withtheir respective antigen cut-off values to normalize the dataset. Bynormalizing all OD values, an optical density index (ODI) dataset wasestablished for both antibody types. Finally, the ODI values wereconverted into a binary data set that contained 1 or 0 to denotepositives or negative, respectively.

The variation was assessed from calculating intra- and inter-assayvariation⁴². Intra-assay variation was determined by the duplicatemeasurements from one high titer and one low titer sample on the sameplate. For inter-assay variation, the variation was determined bymeasuring six high titer samples and six low titer samples fromdifferent plates that were performed on different days by differentoperators.

Equipment Utilized

ND 1000 spectrophotometer (Finnzymes) was used to measure proteinconcentration of cell lysates at 280 nm. Victor™ X⁴ multi-label platereader (Perkin Elmer 2030 manger) was utilized to measure the OD valuesat 450 nm at 0.1 sec. Microplate washer DNX-9620G (Nanjing PerloveMedical Equipment Co., Ltd) was used for washing ELISA microplates.

Results

FIGS. 1 and 2 demonstrate immune responses by 443 individuals to acombination of Borrelia spirochetes and round bodies, only Borreliaspirochetes, and only Borrelia round bodies. The total number of IgM andIgG (FIGS. 1A and 2A) immune responses to only Borrelia round bodies isconsistently higher when compared the total number of IgM and IgG immuneresponses to only Borrelia spirochetes. Also, the total number of IgMand IgG (FIGS. 1A and 2A) immune responses to different combinations ofBorrelia spirochetes and round bodies is higher when compared to thetotal number of IgM and IgG immune responses to only Borreliaspirochetes and only Borrelia round bodies. Further, in FIGS. 1B and 2B,different species of Borrelia spirochete witnessed a higher number ofimmune responses when compared to the total number of immune responsesrecorded for different combinations of Borrelia spirochetes. Similarly,in FIGS. 1C and 2C, higher number of immune responses was recorded fordifferent species of Borrelia round bodies when compared to differentcombinations of Borrelia round bodies. FIGS. 1 and 2 suggest that inaddition to different species of Borrelia spirochetes, different speciesof Borrelia round bodies may help in tremendously improving theefficiency of diagnostic tools to detect a Borrelia infection inindividuals.

In FIG. 1A, 95 (21%), 15 (3%), and 65 (15%) individuals with IgMresponded to Borrelia spirochetes and round bodies, only Borreliaspirochetes, and only Borrelia round bodies, respectively. The totalnumber of immune responses to only Borrelia round body was about 5 foldgreater when compared to the total number of immune responses to onlyBorrelia spirochetes. Remaining 268 (61%) individuals did not respond toany Borrelia antigens. Borrelia round body represents dormant or latentform^(5,9,14) of the native Borrelia spirochete structure. Patientsresponding to the Borrelia round body more than its own spirochetestructure with an IgM suggests IgM immune dysfunction¹⁷. Similarly, inFIG. 2A, 171 (38%), 47 (11%), and 71 (16%) individuals with IgGresponded to Borrelia spirochetes and round bodies, only Borreliaspirochetes, and only Borrelia round bodies, respectively. The totalnumber of immune responses to only Borrelia round body was approximately2 fold greater when compared to the total number of immune responses toonly Borrelia spirochetes. Remaining 154 (35%) individuals did notrespond to any Borrelia antigens. Higher number of immune responses toBorrelia round body suggests that a diagnostic kit with only Borreliaspirochetes cannot offer individuals a complete and reliable diagnosisfor a Borrelia infection. Hence, implementation of Borrelia round bodiesalongside Borrelia spirochetes for diagnosing TBD patients is anabsolute novelty from this study.

Individuals infected with different strains of Borrelia requiredifferent therapeutic treatments¹⁶. Thus, individuals must be diagnosedfor different Borrelia strains. Immune responses to only Borreliaspirochetes and only Borrelia round bodies (FIGS. 1A and 2A) werefurther speciated (in FIGS. 1B, 1C, 2B, and 2C) to evaluate if the totalnumber of immune responses to individual Borrelia strains exceeds thetotal number of immune responses to different combinations of Borreliastrains. The total number of immune responses to individual Borreliastrains was consistently higher when compared with the total number ofimmune responses to different combinations of Borrelia strains (FIGS.1B, 1C, 2B, and 2C).

In FIG. 1A, 15 (3%) individuals that responded to only Borreliaspirochetes were further speciated and evaluated in FIG. 1B. Of the 15(3%) individuals, 1 (7%), 5 (33%), and 5 (33%) individuals responded toBorrelia burgdorferi (Bb), Borrelia afzeilii (Ba), and Borrelia garinii(Bg) spirochetes, respectively. Further, 3 (20%), and 1 (7%) individualresponded to a combination of Ba+Bg, and Bb+Ba+Bg spirochetes,respectively. Of the 15 individuals, 4 (27%) individuals responded to acombination of different Borrelia strains, whereas 11 (73%) individualsresponded to different Borrelia strains. Similarly, in FIG. 2A, 47 (11%)individuals that responded to only Borrelia spirochetes were furtherspeciated and evaluated in FIG. 2B. Of the 47 (11%) individuals, 3 (6%),10 (21%), and 13 (28%) individuals responded to Bb, Ba, and Bgspirochetes, respectively. Further, 4 (9%), 7 (15%), and 10 (21%)individuals responded to a combination of Bb+Bg, Ba+Bg, and Bb+Ba+Bgspirochetes, respectively. Of the 47 (11%) individuals, 21 (45%)individuals responded to a combination of different Borrelia strains,whereas 26 (55%) individuals responded to different Borrelia strains. Noimmune responses were recorded for Bb+Ba combination in both IgM (FIG.1B) and IgG (FIG. 2B). Also, in FIG. 1B no immune responses wererecorded for Bb+Bg combination.

In FIG. 1A, 65 (15%) individuals that responded to only Borrelia roundbodies were further speciated and evaluated in FIG. 1C. Of the 65 (15%)individuals, 16 (25%), 12 (18%), and 13 (20%) individuals responded toBb, Ba, and Bg round bodies, respectively. Further, 9 (14%), 8 (12%),and 7 (11%) individuals responded to a combination of Bb+Ba, Bb+Bg, andBb+Ba+Bg round bodies, respectively. Of the 65 (15%) individuals, 24(37%) individuals responded to a combination of different Borreliastrains, whereas 41 (63%) individuals responded to different Borreliastrains. Similarly, in FIG. 2A, 71 (16%) individuals that responded toonly Borrelia round bodies were further speciated and evaluated in FIG.2C. Of the 71 individuals, 4 (6%), 5 (7%), and 30 (42%) individualsresponded to Bb, Ba, and Bg round bodies, respectively. Further, 2 (3%),16 (22%), 2 (3%), and 12 (17%) individuals responded to a combination ofBb+Ba, Bb+Bg, Ba+Bg, and Bb+Ba+Bg round bodies, respectively. Of the 71individuals, 32 (45%) individuals responded to a combination ofdifferent Borrelia strains, whereas 39 (55%) individuals responded todifferent Borrelia strains. No immune responses were recorded for Ba+Bgcombination in both IgM (FIG. 1C) and IgG (FIG. 2C). Clearly, the totalnumber of immune responses to individual Borrelia strains exceeds thetotal number of immune responses to Borrelia strains in combinations (inFIGS. 1B, 1C, 2B, and 2C). Higher number of immune responses toindividual Borrelia strains suggests prevalence of distinct epitopesbetween different Borrelia strains⁴³. Excluding different Borreliastrains from a diagnostic tool may limit its sensitivity⁴⁴.

FIG. 3 presents IgM (3A) and IgG (3B) immune responses from 443individuals to one or multiple microbial antigens and evaluatesrelevance of polymicrobial conditions in TBD. Globally, the medicalcommunity and diagnostic industry have recognized polymicrobialinfections in numerous diseases such as measles, tuberculosis,hepatitis, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), andother^(12,45). However, the TBD diagnostic landscape concerningpolymicrobial infections had not changed⁴⁶. In FIG. 3A, 237 (53%)individuals responded to multiple microbial antigens whereas 53 (12%)individuals responded to any single microbial antigen. Likewise, FIG. 3Bdetermined that 344 (78%) individuals responded to multiple microbialantigens whereas 63 (14%) individuals responded to any single microbialantigen. Experimental evidences regarding polymicrobial infections inTBD from FIG. 3 advocates an imperative paradigm shift in the field ofTBD diagnostics. Remaining 153 (35%) and 36 (8%) individuals did notproduce an immune to microbial antigens when tested for IgM and IgG,respectively. Individuals responding to multiple microbes with IgM (FIG.3A) are about 5 fold greater when compared to individuals responding toa single microbe. Similarly, in FIG. 3B, individuals responding tomultiple microbes are about 6 fold greater when compared to individualsresponding to a single microbe. Response to multiple antigens (53%) withan IgM (3A) suggests that immune dysfunction could be a commonphenomenon among TBD individuals¹⁷. Moreover, FIGS. 3A and 3B suggestthat polymicrobial infections may be a more common phenomenon to beobserved with IgG than IgM.

FIGS. 4 and 5 present IgM and IgG immune responses to individualmicrobial antigens, respectively. The total number of immune responsesto each individual antigen was consistently higher in IgG when comparedto IgM. Immune responses to Borrelia round bodies were either higher orsimilar when compared to their respective spirochete strains. Equivalentnumber of immune to Borrelia round bodies in comparison to Borreliaspirochetes suggests that Borrelia round bodies may help in maximizingsensitivity of Borrelia diagnostic tools. An amount of 130 (29%) and 64(14%) individuals responded to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto B31for IgG and IgM, respectively; 162 (37%) and 79 (18%) individualsresponded to Borrelia afzelii P12 for IgG and IgM, respectively; 161(36%) and 94 (21%) individuals responded to Borrelia garinii Fuji P1 forIgG and IgM, respectively; 158 (35%) and 120 (27%) individuals respondedto Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto B31 round body for IgG and IgM,respectively; 164 (37%) and 98 (22%) individuals responded to Borreliaafzelli p12 round body in IgG and IgM, respectively; and, 180 (41%) and83 (19%) individuals responded to Borrelia garinii Fuji P12 round bodyfor IgG and IgM, respectively.

In FIGS. 4 and 5 immune responses to antigens apart from Borreliaspirochetes/round Bodies suggests that it is imperative to testindividuals for secondary, co-infection and autoimmune conditions. Theimmune responses against IgG and IgM are as following: 125 (28%) and 59(13%) individuals responded to Bartonella henselae, respectively; 126(28%) and 74 (16%) individuals responded to Babesia microti,respectively; 115 (26%) and 65 (15%) individuals responded to Chlamydiatrachomafis, respectively; 115 (26%) individuals responded to Chlamydiapneumonia, respectively; 167 (38%) and 122 (28%) individuals respondedto Mycoplasma fermentans, respectively; 137 (31%) and 58 (13%)individuals responded to Mycoplasma pneumonia, respectively; 115 (26%)and 76 (17%) individuals responded to Coxsachie virus A16, respectively;150 (34%) and 127 (29%) individuals responded to Cytomegalo virus,respectively; 203 (46%) and 68 (15%) individuals responded toEpstein-barr virus, respectively; 122 (28%) and 64 (14%) individualsresponded to Brucella abortus, respectively; 134 (30%) and 104 (23%)individuals responded to Parvovirus B19 Apobods, respectively; 142 (32%)and 77 (17%) individuals responded to Ehrlichia Chaffeensis,respectively; 149 (34%) and 71 (16%) individuals responded to Tick-borneencephalitis virus, respectively; 184 (47%) and 146 (33%) individualsresponded to Rickketsia akari, respectively; and, 36 (8%) and 153 (35%)individuals did not responded to any of the 20 antigens, respectively.

FIGS. 6 and 7 demonstrate differences in immune responses by 443individuals to other microbes with Borrelia spirochetes, Borrelia roundbodies, or a combination of Borrelia spirochetes and round bodies andwithout Borrelia. Essentially, FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the differencesin immune response frequencies to the number of multiple other microbesand specifically to each other microbe with and without Borrelia roundbodies. It was observed that individuals responding to a combination ofBorrelia spirochetes and round bodies tend to respond more not only tothe number of multiple other microbes, but also to specific othermicrobe. FIGS. 6 and 7 suggest that a diagnostic tool with Borreliaspirochete, Borrelia round body, co-infectious, secondary infectious andautoimmune antigens would provide individuals a complete and reliablediagnosis for TBDs. The term “other microbes” includes co-infections,secondary and auto-immune antigens such as, but not limited toBartonella henselae (B. henselae), Brucella abortus (B. abortus),Babesia microti (B. microti), Ehrlichia chaffeensis (E. chaffeensis),Rickettsia akari (R. akari), Tick borne encephaltis virus (TBEV),Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis), Chlamydia pneumonia (C.pneumonia), Mycoplasma fermentans (M. fermentans), Mycoplasma pneumonia(M. pneumonia), Cytomegalo virus (CMV), Epstein-barr virus (EBV),Coxsachie virus A16 (CV A16), and Human Parvovirus B19 (HB19V).

In FIGS. 6A and 7A, approximately a quarter (26%) of 443 individualsresponded to other microbes without Borrelia. IgM and IgG immuneresponses from 115 (26%) and 118 (26%) individuals to other microbeswithout Borrelia suggests that individuals should also be screened formicrobes other than Borrelia. Furthermore, FIGS. 6A and 7A presentimmune responses by individuals to only Borrelia and other microbes withBorrelia. It was observed that the number of individuals responding toother microbes with Borrelia was considerably higher when compared withthe number of individuals that responded to only Borrelia antigens. InFIG. 6A, from the 443 individuals 10 (2%), 2 (1%), and 5 (1%)individuals responded to Borrelia round bodies, Borrelia spirochetes,and a combination of Borrelia spirochetes and round bodies,respectively. However, of the 443 individuals 55 (12%), 13 (3%), and 90(20%) individuals responded to Borrelia round bodies, Borreliaspirochetes, and a combination of Borrelia spirochetes and round bodieswith other microbes, respectively. Similarly, in FIG. 7A, of the 443individuals 23 (5%), 2 (1%), and 13 (3%) individuals responded toBorrelia round bodies, Borrelia spirochetes, and a combination ofBorrelia spirochetes and round bodies, respectively. But, of the 443individuals 48 (11%), 45 (10%), and 158 (36%) individuals responded toBorrelia round bodies, Borrelia spirochetes, and a combination ofBorrelia spirochetes and round bodies with other microbes, respectively.

In FIGS. 6A and 7A, individuals that respond to Borrelia round bodiestend to respond more to other microbes when compared with individualsthat respond to the Borrelia spirochete. However, individuals thatrespond to a combination of Borrelia spirochetes and round bodies tendto respond approximately 3 fold higher to other microbes when comparedwith individuals that respond to Borrelia Round Bodies or Borreliaspirochetes. With IgM (FIG. 6A), the number of individuals responding toother microbes with Borrelia round bodies is approximately 4 foldgreater when compared with the number of individuals responding to othermicrobes with Borrelia spirochetes. But, with IgG (FIG. 7A) the numberof individuals responding to other microbes with Borrelia round bodiesis marginally similar to the number of individuals responding to othermicrobes with Borrelia spirochetes. From the 443 individuals, 55 (12%)individuals responded to other microbes with Borrelia round bodies,whereas 13 (3%) individuals responded to other microbes with Borreliaspirochete in IgM (FIG. 6A). Similarly, 48 (11%) individuals respondedto other microbes with Borrelia round bodies and 45 (10%) individualsresponded to other microbes with Borrelia spirochetes.

FIGS. 6B and 7B present the difference in microbial load withindividuals that responded to other microbes with and without Borrelia.At the outset, individuals that responded to other microbes (FIGS. 6Aand 7A) did not respond to more than eight microbes in both antibodyclasses (FIGS. 6B and 7B). However, over 75% individuals that respondedto other microbes did not respond to more than three microbes. Of the115 (26%) individuals that responded to other microbes with IgM (FIG.6A), 92 (80%) individuals did not respond to more than three microbes.Similarly, of the 118 (26%) individuals that responded to other microbeswith IgG (FIG. 7A), 89 (75%) individuals did not respond to more thanthree microbes. Interestingly, individuals that responded to Borreliatend to respond more to multiple other microbes when compared withindividuals without any response to Borrelia (FIGS. 6B and 7B).

Individuals that responded to Borrelia round bodies with IgM tend torespond more to multiple other microbes when compared with individualsthat respond to Borrelia spirochetes (FIG. 6B). On the contrary,individuals that responded to Borrelia spirochetes with IgG tend torespond more to multiple other microbes when compared with individualsthat respond to Borrelia round bodies (FIG. 7B). But, individualsresponding to a combination of Borrelia spirochetes and round bodiesconsistently tend to respond higher to multiple microbes when comparedeither to individuals that responded to Borrelia round bodies orBorrelia spirochetes. Over 50% individuals that responded to othermicrobes with a combination of Borrelia spirochetes and round bodies,responded from 8 to 14 multiple other microbes. Concentration ofindividuals that responded to other microbes with a combination ofBorrelia spirochetes and round bodies is the highest at 14 multiplemicrobes in both antibody classes (FIGS. 6B and 7B). Of the 90 (20%)individuals that responded to other microbes with IgM to a combinationof Borrelia spirochetes and round bodies (FIG. 6A), 14 (16%) individualsresponded to 14 other microbes (FIG. 6B). Similarly, of the 158 (36%)individuals that responded to other microbes with IgG to a combinationof Borrelia spirochetes and round bodies (FIG. 7A), 23 (15%) individualsresponded to 14 other microbes (FIG. 7B).

FIGS. 6C and 7C demonstrate differences in immune responses from 443individuals to individual other microbes with and without Borrelia.Borrelia antigens that exhibited the greatest amount of microbial loadin FIGS. 6B and 7B also presented highest frequency of immune responsesto individual other microbes in FIGS. 6C and 7C. From FIGS. 6B and 7B,Borrelia round bodies and Borrelia spirochetes exhibited the mostmicrobial load in individuals with IgM and IgG, respectively. Thus,individuals that responded to Borrelia round bodies with IgM respondedon average 5 fold higher to all other microbes when compared withindividuals that responded to Borrelia spirochetes (FIG. 6C).Furthermore, individuals that responded to Borrelia spirochete with IgGresponded on an average 2 fold higher to all other microbes whencompared with individuals that responded to Borrelia round bodies (FIG.7C). However, combination of Borrelia spirochetes and round bodiesexhibited the greatest amount of microbial load in both antibody classes(FIGS. 6B and 7B). Thus, individuals that responded to a combination ofBorrelia spirochetes and round bodies with IgM responded approximately 3fold higher to all other microbes when compared with individuals thatresponded to Borrelia round bodies (FIG. 6C). Also, individuals thatresponded to a combination of Borrelia spirochetes and Round Bodies withIgG responded about 5 fold higher to all other microbes when comparedwith individuals that responded to Borrelia spirochetes (FIG. 7C).

Intra and Inter Assay Variation

The Intra and inter assay variation for the present method wascalculated to be 4.6% and 15.6%, respectively.

TABLE 1List of 20 tick-borne microbial antigens utilized in the present method.Microbial Antigen antigens types Culturing/Peptide Sequences Ref.Borrelia Full lysate Previously reported 14 burgdorferi sensu strictoB31 Borrelia Full lysate Previously reported afzelii P12 (ATCC 51567)Borrelia Full lysate Previously reported garinii Fuji (ATCC P1 51991)Borrelia Full lysate Previously reported burgdorferi (ATCC35210)sensu stricto B31 round body Borrelia Full lysate Previous reportedafzelii P12 (ATCC round body 51567) Borrelia Full lysatePreviously reported garinii Fuji (ATCC P1 round 51991) body ChlamydiaPeptide Seq 1: MIFDTTLNPTIAGAGDV (SEQ ID NO: 1) 28 trachomatisSeq 2: MLAEAILDVTLNPTIGKAVVSK (SEQ ID NO: 2) Chlamydia PeptideSeq 1: CFGVKGTTVNANEL (SEQ ID NO: 3) 29 pneumoniaSeq 2: CQINKFKSRKAC (SEQ ID NO: 4) Mycoplasma PeptideSeq 1: MNKKFLKLGSIAGILSFAPVAISAGC (SEQ ID NO: 5) 30 fermentansSeq 2: FKLAKFENNKPVLDDPIVYNAEVSLA (SEQ ID NO: 6) Mycoplasma PeptideSeq 1: WIGNGYRY (SEQ ID NO: 7) 31 pneumoniaSeq 2: FTDFVKPR (SEQ ID NO: 8) Bartonella PeptideEDLQKQLKEKLEKSDVRL (SEQ ID NO: 9) 32 henselae Brucella PeptideTTSLKTF (SEQ ID NO: 10) 33 abortus Babesia PeptideIVEFNAIFSNIDLNNSSTVKNEIIK (SEQ ID NO: 11) 34 microti Ehrlichia PeptideSAVSNRKLPLGGVLMALVAAVAPIHSALLA (SEQ ID NO: 12) chaffeensis CoxsackiePeptide YLFKTNPNYKGNDIK (SEQ ID NO: 13) 35 virus A16 Epstein-barrPeptide Seq 1: AVDTGSGGGGQPHDTAPRGARKKQ (SEQ ID NO: 14) 36 virusSeq 2: STAVAQSATPSVSSSISSLRAATSGATAAA (SEQ ID NO: 15) Cytomegalo PeptideKSGTGPQPGSAGMGGAKTPSDAVQNILQKIEKIKNTEE (SEQ ID NO: 16) 37 virus HumanPeptide Previously reported 26,27 Parvovirus B19 Apobods Tick-bornePeptide Seq 1: SRCTHLENRDFVTGTQGTTRVT (SEQ ID NO: 17) 38 encephalitisSeq 2: NDLALPWKHEGAQNWNNAERC (SEQ ID NO: 18) virus RickettsiaFull Lysate Provided by Dr. Marco Quvendi Diaz, Slovakia akari

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1. A solid support for detecting the presence of antibodies in abiological sample, said solid support comprising microbial antigensimmobilized on said solid support, wherein said microbial antigenscomprise at least one antigen prepared from the group consisting ofpleomorphic round bodies of a species of Borrelia genus.
 2. The solidsupport according to claim 1, wherein said species of Borrelia genus isselected from the group consisting of Borrelia burgdorferi, Borreliaafzelii and Borrelia garinii.
 3. The solid support according to claim 1,wherein said solid support is a microwell plate or antigen microarray.4. The solid support according to claim 1, wherein said antigen is alysate or protein or peptide preparation of said pleomorphic roundbodies of a species of Borrelia genus.
 5. The solid support according toclaim 1, wherein said solid support further comprises at least oneimmobilized antigen prepared from the group consisting of a species ofBorrelia genus in a native spirochete form.
 6. The solid supportaccording to claim 5, wherein said species of Borrelia genus is selectedfrom the group consisting of Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia afzelii andBorrelia garinii.
 7. The solid support according to claim 1, whereinsaid solid support comprises an immobilized antigen prepared frompleomorphic round bodies of Borrelia burgdorferi and an immobilizedantigen prepared from Borrelia burgdorferi in a native spirochete form.8. The solid support according to claim 1, wherein said solid supportcomprises an immobilized antigen prepared from pleomorphic round bodiesof Borrelia afzelii and an immobilized antigen prepared from Borreliaafzelii in a native spirochete form.
 9. The solid support according toclaim 1, wherein said solid support comprises an immobilized antigenprepared from pleomorphic round bodies of Borrelia garinii and animmobilized antigen prepared from Borrelia garinii in a nativespirochete form.
 10. The solid support according to claim 1, whereinsaid solid support comprises immobilized antigens prepared frompleomorphic round bodies of Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia afzelii andBorrelia garinii.
 11. The solid support according to claim 1 furthercomprising at least one immobilized antigen prepared from the groupconsisting of Mycoplasma fermentans, Mycoplasma pneumonia, Bartonellahenselae, Brucella abortus, Babesia microti, Chlamydia trachomatis,Chlamydia pneumonia, Ehrlichia chaffeensis, Coxsackie virus A16,Epstein-barr virus, Cytomegalo virus, Human Parvovirus B19 Apobods,Tick-borne encephalitis virus, and Rickettsia akari.
 12. The solidsupport according to claim 1, wherein said antigens prepared from thegroup consisting of a species of Borrelia genus, such as Borreliaburgdorferi, Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii, in a nativespirochete form are lysates, protein preparations or peptidepreparations of said native spirochete form.
 13. A method of detecting atick-borne microbe in a biological sample, the method comprising: (a)contacting a biological sample with a solid support comprising microbialantigens immobilized on said solid support in order to form a complexcomprising a microbial antigen immobilized to said solid support and anantibody originating from said biological sample bound to said microbialantigen, wherein said microbial antigens comprise at least one antigenprepared from the group consisting of pleomorphic round bodies of aspecies of Borrelia genus; and (b) detecting the presence of the complexobtained in step (a), wherein the presence of a complex comprising anantigen prepared from pleomorphic round bodies of Borrelia genus, is anindication of the presence of a tick-borne microbe in said biologicalsample.
 14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the presence ofthe complex obtained in step (a) is detected by contacting said solidsupport with an anti-antibody reagent in order to form a complex of saidmicrobial antigen, said antibody bound to said microbial antigen andsaid anti-antibody reagent.
 15. The method according to claim 13,wherein said species of Borrelia genus is selected from the groupconsisting of: Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia afzelii and Borreliagarinii.
 16. The method according to claim 14, wherein saidanti-antibody reagent is an anti-IgG antibody, anti-IgM antibody oranti-IgA antibody.
 17. The method according to claim 14, wherein saidanti-antibody reagent is anti-human IgG antibody, anti-human IgMantibody or anti-human IgA antibody.
 18. The method according to claim13, wherein said biological sample is a blood or serum sample, salivasample, cerebrospinal fluid sample, synovial fluid sample or tearsample.
 19. The method according to claim 13, wherein said solid supportis a solid support for detecting the presence of antibodies in abiological sample.
 20. The method according to claim 13 comprising apreceding step of culturing a species of Borrelia genus in conditionsproducing pleomorphic round bodies, performing lysis of the culturedcells, and coating a solid support with the lysate.
 21. The methodaccording to claim 20, wherein said species of Borrelia genus isselected from the group consisting of Borrelia burgdorferi, Borreliaafzelii and Borrelia garinii.
 22. A solid support according to claim 1for use in the diagnosis of Lyme disease.
 23. The solid supportaccording to claim 22 for use in the diagnosis of Lyme disease, whereinsaid Lyme disease is chronic or persistent Lyme disease.
 24. Use of thesolid support according to claim 1 for the manufacture of a diagnosticassay for the detection of a tick-borne microbe in a biological sample.25. The use according to claim 24, wherein said diagnostic assay is forthe detection of Lyme disease in a patient.
 26. The use according toclaim 25, wherein said diagnostic assay is for the detection of chronicor persistent Lyme disease in a patient.